2014 Blanket Making Party: 102 Blankets warm blankets made for those in need in our community.

Last Friday, we hosted our annual Blanket Making Party at Oak Ridge High School, where youth and adult volunteers alike made "no-sew" fleece blankets.  These blankets are distributed to the homeless, during the cold winter months, through our homeless outreaches and given to our partner agencies who help the homeless. 

A total of 102 blankets were made in this one night! 

We also had a local soccer team make an additional 20 more to contribute to the cause!

Thank you all who attended and assisted!

Volunteer Spotlight :: Chloe Simon

Chloe Simon, an 8th grader at Marina Village Middle School, has been with Hands4Hope since she was a 6th grader.  Chloe has participated in over sixty Hands4Hope events and outreaches since her time with us and is such a joy to work with and asset to our organization.  We recently interviewed Chloe about her experience with Hands4Hope, here's what she had to say...

H4H: What brought you to Hands4Hope?

Chloe: I, at first, was just doing H4H because I needed community service hours in the 6th grade, but after a while I started to greatly enjoy volunteering and try to do it as often as I can.

Chloe with adult volunteer Page Phelan manning the ticket stand for the haunted house.

H4H: What are a few of your favorite things about H4H?

Chloe:  I like to do a lot of the homeless outreaches (both the Placerville and Sacramento outreaches) and I also enjoy doing the Green Valley Community Church Saturday Cafe in Placerville.  I also like the concept of H4H, which is a youth organization that gives back to the community because it sets a great image for youth and opens their eyes up to what happens in poorer communities and the less fortunate. 

H4H: What have you learned from being involved with H4H?

Chloe: I have learned how grateful many people are that we help them out on such a regular basis. I have also learned that even though I am only a teenager, I can still contribute and make a difference in my community.

H4H: How has volunteering made you feel?

Chloe: It makes me feel so grateful for what I have when I volunteer and also feel very empathetic towards the people that we help out.

H4H: How do you see yourself being involved with H4H in the future?

Chloe: I am going to make sure that I will stay as involved with Hands4Hope as I am right now. I am currently the treasurer at the H4H Club at Marina Village and volunteer very regularly.

H4H:  Would you recommend for friends and other people your age to get involved with H4H?

Chloe:  I definitely would recommend for my friends and other fellow peers to get involved with H4H.

Thank you Chloe for involvement with Hands4Hope and your willingness to learn and grow through Exploration, Action and Leadership!

2,025 pounds of food collected during Hands4Hope’s Neighborhood Fall Food Drive

During the last two weeks of October, Hands4Hope hosted a fall food drive to benefit one of our partner agencies, The Twin Lakes Food Bank, whose inventory was extremely low and who were in desperate need of community support.  We hosted a drive slightly different than our semi-annual food drive, where we normally ask volunteers to stand outside of local grocery stores asking for patrons to donate any foods and/or gift cards.  This time it was done more personal - we asked you to host drives throughout your neighborhoods.  

Willing families hosted a drive in their neighborhood where the family prints a pre-made flyer, hands them out to their neighbors, collects food donated and deliver the items to the Twin Lakes Food Bank truck on two given days. 

This approach brought in great results!  The neighborhood fall food drive brought in over 2,000 pounds of food!   “[The generosity of this community] will be able to help so many families in need!  We are so glad to have [Hands4Hope’s] support and we look forward to partnering with [them] in the future.  Together we are making a difference in our community!” explains Tammy Thompson, Director of the Twin Lakes Food Bank in a thank you letter to Hands4Hope.

Some Hands4Hope volunteers brought it a step further and thought outside the box.  Some volunteers posted the drive on their personal social media pages asking for friends to donate and bring the donations to their house.  Another great idea was from a Daisy Troop, who collected donations from within their own families by scouring cupboards or shopping for specific items on the list.  The El Dorado Hills Daisy Troop 2735 left a note on their delivery thanking Hands4Hope for providing them with their first opportunity to learn about community service.

Parent volunteer Andrea Clark says "This was our families first experience running a neighborhood food drive. We were overjoyed at the positive response and generosity our community offered! We look forward to the next one!"

Thank you to all who hosted and donated in the Hands4Hope Neighborhood Fall Food Drive and helping support those in need in our community!